Brooder.



J. F. MAcKAY.

BROODER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31,1914. 1 11 495,, Patented. Nov. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

A6 A W- W1 36 [W I I W 0 0 6 61 J. F. MACKAY- BROODER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. I914.

Llfilfigfig I V Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.Fig. 1.

i I l t JOHN F. MACKAY, OF BORDENTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

BROODER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

Application filed March 31, 1914. Serial No. 828,519.

'0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN F. MACKAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bordentown, in the county of Burlington and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brooders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanving drawing.

This invention refers to brooders for chickens and other fowl or birds requiring to be hovered, and more particularly it concerns little chicks hatched in incubators.

A leading object of the invention is to provide a colony brooder which may beemployed to care for a large number of chicks in a room or colony house and whichwill successfully protect the chicks from cold, etc.

Other objects will appear throughout the description of the construction and operation. I

It is essential that the temperature under the hood should be kept uniform and of a suiiicientlv high degree to provide the necessary warmth, and in order to automatically efiect such a regulation of the heat, I provide suitable mechanism for the. purpose.

The invention ,may, therefore, be said to consist essentially in the construction, combination, and operation of the various parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended clauses of claim.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating my invention,Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved brooder. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with certain parts in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 4 is a horizontal detail section on the line 4:, t of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is asectional detail showing a modification in the construction and arrangement of certain of the dampers. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 7- is a detail side view of the damper construction shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a still further modification in the construction and arrangement of certain of the dampers, one of the dampers in this case being indicated as a slide damper.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding arts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

In my improved heater for brooders, incubators, and the like, I employ acentral stove device or construction which is enveloped by a hood of a flaring or conical shape, the top of the hood being supported on the stove and leaving the latter exposed for fuel feeding. Thus 1 indicates the firebox, 2 the grate, 3 the ash pit, at an air drum surrounding the firebox 1 and having perforations 5, 6 a flaring hood supported on the top 7 of the stove, said top having a flange 8 which engages the upper end of the firebox 1, and said top having moreover acentral opening 9 provided with a removable lid 10. A smoke flue 11 is supported on the top 7 by engaging a suitable sleeve 12 formed integral with the top 7. This flue 11 communicates with the interior of the firebox 1. The hood 6 may, if desired, be provided with a cylindrical bottom portion 13' attached to or made integral with the flaring conical part 6., and said cylindrical portion 13 may drop down to as near the floor as it is desired to have it, leaving proper space for the chicks to pass underneath, or it may be a curtain of flexible material which the chicks can push aside.

The ash pitf3 is-provided with a door 14 and also with a circular damper 15, the latter consisting of two apertured disks, one of which is stationary, while the otherrotates. The stationary disk may be the inner one, as shown at 16, while the rotary is the outer one 17 the two being pivoted togetherby means of the central pivot 18. The disk 17, has a seriesof apertures 19 which register with the apertures 20 in the disk 16 when the damper is open. The damper is operated by means of a rod 21 pivoted to the outer disk 17 by means of a pivot'pin 22. The downward movement of the rod 21 rotates the outer disk 17 sulficiently to close the damper by throwing the openings in thetwo disks out ofregister with each other, as is common with circular dampers of this type.

On the wall of the firebox 1 below the flue 11 is bolted or otherwise firmly secured a tubular casing 23 which projects through the drum 4 and lies underneath the hood 6. This casing is simply an extension of the firebox and serves to contain-two dampers, one of which operates in conjunction with the flue and is a draft damper for said flue,

while the other opens up a passage between the firebox and the flue on the one side and the interior of the hood 6 on the other side "and acts as a check damper to allow a cur-' hood into the flue by way of the top of the firebox. These two dampers are connected together and operated simultaneously. The check damper in the end of the tubular casing 23 consists of two plates, one of which 24 may be the end of the casing 23 and is provided with apertures 25, said plate obviously being stationary, and the other plate being a rotary one 26 and having apertures 27 therein, which at certain times in the revolution of theplate 26 register with the openings 25 in plate 24. Plate 26, as also late 24, is usually of a disk like form.

late 24 is securely fastened to a pivot pin 28 mounted centrally in a bearing inthe plate 24 and projecting inwardly within the casing 23 where it is connected securely to a barrel-shaped or sleeve like damper 29 which operates in conjunction with the curved end 30 of the sleeve 12, which I have already stated supports the flue 11. The sleeve 12 therefore constitutes a continuation of the flue 11 in the interior of the casing 23. The damper 29 is not completely cylindrical or barrel-shaped, but has a cut away portion at 31 and also one or more slots 32. It also has openings 33 in one end, the other end 34 being usually entirely open.

It will be understood that'the revolution of the sleeve like damper 29 inside of its casing 23 upon its pivot pin 28, will at times close the sleeve 12 and flue 11, except for the small draft opening 32 which at this time will be left in order to permit. a certain amount, of draft to take place through the flue, while at other times during the revolution-of the damper 29 the cut away portion 31 will be brought opposite to the flue, and thus a draft opening will be established between the firebox and the flue. Obviously the sleeve like damper 29 and the rotary damper consisting of the disk 26 working over the apertured end 24 of the casing 23 will operate in unison and the operation takes place in consequence of the attachment of the rod 21, which I have already said operates the circular damper in the-ash pit, the attachment of rod 21 with rotary plate 26 being accomplished by means of a pivot pin 35 on plate 26. The parts are so related that when the sleeve like damper 29 is wide open for the purpose of creating a draft, the circular damper 26, which is in eflecta check draft damper, is closed. When the sleeve like dam er 29 is closed, except for the small opening 32, then the rotary damper 26 will be open in order to allow the passage of air from underneath the hood upward into the chimney and thereby serve as a sort of check on the draft. The sleeve like flue damper 29 will of course be opened in order to establish a draft, its opening taking place coincidently with the opening of the circular damper in the ash pit. The two dampers will also close simultaneously when the draft is to be cut off. When closed, as already stated, the check damper 26 will be open to allow a checking effect to be produced by the flow of air from beneath the hood upward into the smoke flue.

36 denotes a cold air flue which delivers at its upper end into an extension 37 bolted or otherwise firmly secured to' the hot air drum 4 near the base thereof. Said extension 37 is suitably curved as indicated in Fig; 3, and the cold air pipe 36 is screwed thereinto in any convenient way. \Vithin the extension 37 and contiguous to the end of the pipe 36 is a sleeve like or barrel shaped damper 38 having a cut out portion 39'whereby the damper is enabled at certain times in its revolution to close the pipe 36,

and at other times to open it so that air can pass freely from said pipe into the drum 4.

'This damper 38 is supported on a pivot pin 40 and is operated by a pin 41 connected to the pivot 40 by an arm 42, said pin 40 being attached to the actuating rod 21, which we have seen has the function of actuating the ash pit damper 18 and also a smoke flue damper 29 and check draft damper 26. The cold air supply therefore enters the drum 4 when the damper 38 is open, which is the case while the stove is heating up and after it has been thoroughly heated up.

43 designates a thermostat having any suitable or preferred construction and actuated automatically by the heat within the hood 6 when the temperature rises to a predetermined degree. The thermostat 43 operates a link 45 which is pivoted to a bracket 44 secured to the ash pit frame 3,

said link being also connected at its other end to the rod 21. \Vhen the stove is heated to such a point that the radiation under the hood brings the temperature up to the required degree for operating the thermostat 43, the latter will expand and depress the link 45,thus moving the vertical rod 21 downwardly and thereby closing the ash pit damper 15 and the smoke flue damper 29 and simultaneously opening the check draft damper 26, while at the same time the cold air damper 38, is opened. Of course, it should be understood that these operations take place gradually. When the stove starts to warm up and the smoke flue damper 29 and ash pit damper 15 are open wide, the cold air damper 38 and the check draft damper 26 will be closed,but as the heat increases the dampers 29 and 15 will begin to close and the check draft and cold air dampers will begin to open. Thus cold air will be supplied to the drum 4 and from it to the interior of the hood all the time that the stove is heating up and when the stove becomes so hot that the direct draft dampers 29 and 15 close, then the cold air damper 38 and the check draft damper 26 will be virtually wide open, but of course as soon as the maximum temperature for which the parts have been set is reached, the closing of the'direct draft will set in operation a cooling process, which will cause the temperature to drop sufliciently to open the direct draft and simultaneously cause a closing or the commencement of a closing move ment of a check draft and the cold airsupply. There will thus be a constancy of action in the parts which will keep the stove hot all the time or rather keep its heat up to the predeterminedpoint, and while the stove is thus hot, cold air will be supplied to the drum to be radiated therefrom under a hood, and likewise when the stove is hot there will be a supply of hot air passing through the check draft damper and into the flue, creating thereby a cooling tendency on the stove and on the thermostat, the object of the entire operation being to keep the heat within the hood even and regular at all times, which is made possible by the action of the thermostat, and hence very 'litle attention is needed with a heater of this type.

Referring to Figspo, G and 7, I have delineated a modification in the construction and arrangement of the direct draft damper for the smoke flue and the check draft damper adjacent thereto. In lieu of the sleeve like damper and the check draft damper 26, l substitute two circular dampers placed at right angles to each other and geared together so that they may operate simultaneously and in a simple and easy way. On the inner end of the smoke fine 11, or rather upon the inner end of the casting 12, I fasten an apertured plate 46 having openings 4:7 therein, which plate serves as one of the two cooperating plates for a circular damper. Pivoted to the plate 46 at its center by means of a pivot 50 is a rotary disk 48 having openings 49 which register at times with the openings 47 in plate 46. The disk 48 is provided with a segment gear 51 which meshes with another segment gear 54: on a rotary disk 55 having apertures 56 and pivoted on a central pivot 57 to a plate 52 having apertures 53 and securely bolted or otherwise fastened to the firebox in a position at right angles to the location of the plates 46 and 48. The apertures 53 and 56 register with each other when the damper is open and the two apertured plates 52 and 55 constitute a check draft damper. The pivot 5'? of said-damper is connected to the actuatingrod' 58, (which is the equivalent of the rod 21, which is influenced by the thermostat) by an arm 59 which is rigidly attached to the pin 57. It-

will ,be fully manifest, therefore, that the movement of the rod 58 will open or close the check'draft damper and also will open or close the damper which admits to the.

smoke flue 11, the parts being so regulated and adjusted that these two dampers may open simultaneously, or one may be open when the other isclosed. By referring to Fig. 8, it will also be perceived that if desired I can substitute a slide damper consisting of a plate 60 having slots 61 and working in guides 62, said slotted plate having the function of serving as a check draft damper on the end of the tubular extension 23 or in connection with the smoke flue opening wherea like construction of a horizontal slotted plate may be employed if desired. It will be observed that the hood 6 may be raised or lowered in order to get access to the bottom portion of the stove by means of any suitable cord and pulley arrangement, as for instance, the cord 64 running over the pulleys 65.

Many changes may be made in the precise construction, arrangement, and combination of the parts without exceeding the scope of the claims, and I reserve the liberty of making all such changes as may be found desirable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a brooder, the combination with a heater, of a hood surrounding the same and supported at the top thereof so as to be free from the surface on which the heater rests, and forming a brooder chamber surrounding the heater, a bottom draft device, an upper draft device, a check draft device, the upper draft and check draft devices being supported between the heater and the brooder chamber, a thermostat appliance, means connected to the bottom draft device and to the upper draft and check draft devices for operating them all in unison when actuated by the thermostat.

2. In a brooder, the combination with a heater, of a hood supported thereon so as to be free from the surface on which the heater rests and forming a brooder chamber surrounding said heater, a smoke flue above the heater, a rotary damper for said smoke flue, a check draft damper between the heater and the brooder chamber consisting of a rotary disk which opens to allow air to pass from the brooder chamber into the interior of the heater, said check draft and smoke flue dampers being supported and operating together, a bottom rotary damper, a thermostat appliance, and leverage connections whereby the thermostat controls the simultaneous operation of all of the dampers.

3. In a brooder, the combination with a heater for burning solid fuel, of an air drum surrounding the same, a hood surrounding the ail drum and supported on the top of the heater, a smoke flue above the heater, a damper therefor consisting of a rotary sleeve, a check draft damper consist ing of a rotary device connected and operat- -& a

ing with said sleeve, said smoke flue and check dampers being supported in the wall of the heater between the fire box and the rotary disk attached to and operating with said sleeve, a lower rotary damper, a rod connected to the lower damper and also to the top dampers for operating them in unison, and a thermostat actuating said rod.

5. In a brooder, the combination with a heater, and a hood surrounding the same, of a thermostat, an ash pit damper consisting of two cooperating apertured disks, one of which is rotary, a smoke flue damper consisting of a slotted sleeve, a check draft damper connected to the smoke flue damper and consisting of two cooperating apertured elements, one of which is rotary, a rod connecting the top and bottom rotary dam-- pers, a thermostat for actuating said rod, and a cold air inlet "alve likewise operated by the thermostat.

6. In a brooder, the combination of a heater, a hood surrounding the same, a rotary damper near the bottom of the heater consisting of two apertured elements, one of which is rotary, a smoke flue damper, a

check draft damper connected thereto and consisting of two apertured elements, one of which is rotary, a cold air valve or damper consisting of a slotted sleeve, means for rotating said sleeve connecting to the aforesaid damper operating rod, and a thermostat for actuating said rod.

7. Ina brooder, the combination with a heater for burning solid fuel, of a hood surrounding the same and forming a brooder chamber, a smoke flue damper, a

check draft damper, said dampers being supported between the interior of the heater and the brooder chamber so that the smoke flue damper may control the draft in said flue and the check draft damper may admit or cut off the passage of air from the brooder chamber into the interior of the heater, a bottom rotary damper, a rod connected to said lower damper and alsoto the smoke flue, and check draft dampers for operating them all in unison, and a thermostat actuat-' to and operating with said sleeve and supported between the brooder chamber and the interior of the heater, a cold air supply, an air drum surrounding the heater and entered by said cold air supply and communicating with the brooder chamber, a rotary damper for said cold air supply, a rod for operating the top dampers. the bottom damper, and the cold air damper, and a thermostat actuating said rod.

9. In abrooder, the combination with a heater for burning solid fuel, and a hood surrounding the same and forming a brooder chamber, an air drum surrounding the heater inside of the hood and communicating with the brooder chamber, a smoke. fine, a rotary damper therefor. a check d aft damper, said smoke flue and check draft dampers being supported between the brooder'chamber and the interior of the heater, and said check draft damper allowing air to pass from the brooder chamber into the heater, a cold air flue entering the air drmn, a rotary valve-for said flue, a bottom damper, means connecting the various dampers for enabling them to be operated in unison, and a thermostat within the brooder chamber for actuating said means.

10. In a brooder, the combination with a heater for burning solid fuel, an air drmn surrounding the heate and having openings, a hood supported at the top of the heater and surrounding the same so as to form a brooder chamber. receiving heated air through the openings in the air drum, a smoke flue damper consisting of a slotted sleeve, and a check draft damper attached to and operating with said sleeve and allowing air to pass from the brooder chamber into the interior of the heater, a lower rotary damper, a rod connected to the lower damper and also to the top dampers for operating them together, and a tllQlll'lOSllZlt actuating said rod.

11. In a brooder, the combination with a heater for burning solid fuel, an air drum surrounding the same and having openings, a hood supported at the top of the heater and surrounding the latter to form a brooder chamber, receiving heated air from the air drum, top dampers for the smoke flue and the check draft, a bottom draft damper. a cold air flue entering the air drum, a valve controlling the same, means for operating the top dampers, the lower damper, and the cold air valve together, .and a thermostat beneath the hood for actuating said means.

12. In-a brooder, the combination with a heater, an air drum surrounding it having openings. a hood surrounding the heater and forming a brooder chamber, receiving heated air from the air drum, a smoke flue. a damper therefor consisting of a slotted sleeve, a check draft damper consisting of a rotary disk attached to and operating with said sleeve, a bottom rotary damper, a cold air supply entering the air drum, a rotary damper therefor. a rod connected with and operating all of the dampers in unison, and a thermostat actuating said rod.

13. In a brooder, the combination with a heater and a hood surrounding the same to form a brooder chamber, of a thermostatic appliance, an ash pit damper consisting of disks, one of which is rotary, -a smoke flue damper consisting of a rotary sleeve, acheck draft damper connected to the smoke flue damper, and consisting of apertured elements, said latter damper allowing, air to -likewise operated by the thermostat.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of tWOWltIlGSSQS.

JOHN F. MACKAY.

Witnesses FRANK H. VICK, J12, E. M. BRYMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

